Studio Ghibli slams OpenAI in “copyright infringement” claims against Sora 2

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As a huge fan of Studio Ghibli and Japanese animation, I was really surprised to hear that a group representing them has sent a letter to OpenAI. Apparently, OpenAI is using images from studios like Ghibli to teach its new Sora video generator how to create things, and they want them to stop. It’s about protecting artists’ work, and I totally get why they’re taking a stand!

Studio Ghibli is openly critical of artificial intelligence. In a widely shared video, co-founder Hayao Miyazaki described AI as deeply offensive to the very idea of life.

In a 2016 interview, Miyazaki expressed strong disapproval, stating, “I find this deeply disturbing. If others want to create frightening content, that’s their choice, but I would never want to use this technology in my own films.”

CODA, a Japanese organization representing major entertainment companies like Square Enix, Bandai Namco, Sony Music, and Studio Ghibli, has issued a strong critique of OpenAI’s Sora 2 technology. Sora 2 creates incredibly realistic videos, often by using existing content as a base, and CODA is raising concerns about this practice.

CODA claims “copyright infringement” at OpenAI and Sora 2

According to a report in Variety, the Content Overseas Distribution Association sent a letter on October 27, 2025, stating that a significant amount of content created by Sora 2 is very similar to existing Japanese content and imagery.

CODA has found that the recent issues stem from using Japanese-owned content to train their machine learning models. Specifically, if the model reproduces or closely resembles copyrighted works – like what happened with Sora 2 – CODA believes the training process itself could be a violation of copyright law.

CODA raised concerns about a new policy where people need to specifically allow the use of their image, similar to the recent situation with actor Bryan Cranston. He, along with the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, protested against the creation of deep-fake videos using his likeness without his permission.

The organization opposes the requirement for copyright holders to actively notify OpenAI if they don’t want their work included in the AI model’s training data.

CODA explains that Japan’s copyright laws generally require permission before using copyrighted material. Unlike some other systems, there’s no way to avoid legal trouble simply by claiming you didn’t know you were infringing on a copyright.

So, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, actually talked about this a while back – October 4th, 2025, to be exact. He said they’re planning to give creators way more control over how characters are generated. It’s kind of like the current system where you can opt-in to allow likenesses, but they’re adding even more ways to customize things. Basically, they want to give rightsholders a tighter grip on what gets created using their stuff, which is pretty cool if you ask me.

CODA is concerned about potential copyright issues with Sora 2 and has asked OpenAI to seriously address concerns raised by its member companies regarding unauthorized use of their work.

If you’re interested in the ongoing discussion about AI, you can find related debates surrounding the work of Robin Williams, the AI creation Tilly Norwood, and films like Megalopolis, Late Night With the Devil, and Thunderbolts. It’s also being discussed in connection with the TV show True Detective and the One Piece anime.

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2025-11-04 14:19